James M. Dabbs, Jr.

Who was James M. Dabbs, Jr.?

James M. Dabbs, Jr. was a social psychologist and professor of psychology at Georgia State University. Born in 1937 in Sumter, South Carolina, he obtained his doctorate from Yale in 1962. In 2004, he died from cancer.

He was the son of James McBride Dabbs, well-known author and prominent southern liberal during the age of segregation. The elder Dabbs served as president of the Southern Regional Council, chairman of the board of Penn Community Services, and was a member of the Committee of Southern Churchmen and the Southern Student Organizing Committee.

His career touched on many of the classic areas of interest to Social Psychologists. With Bibb Latané, Dabbs investigated helpfulness, finding that a larger number of persons on an elevator reduced the likelihood that someone would help a person who dropped coins or pencils. He also worked with Irving Janis on persuasion, showing that the good feelings that come from eating snacks increased the persuasiveness of a message.

Dabbs may be best known for his behavioral endocrinology work on testosterone.